Monday, November 29, 2010

Candida, stuffed peppers

I have been ill for what seems like a very long time. Last summer (2009) I developed severe stomach and digestive issues. I had problems before then but it seemed that they worsened drastically at this time. I thought I had the flu at first even though it was the middle of the summer. But after one week went by...then two...then four...I figured that maybe something more serious was wrong. I started seeing doctors about it and was diagnosed with epstein-barr and chronic fatigue syndrome in October when I was so ill that I could no longer attend class or get out of bed. I ended up getting a medical incomplete for my semester (luckily!) and was able to finish my work and continue on with my education. The b12 shots for the epstein-barr didn't help me the least little bit. I was disappointed because the doctors said there was nothing else to do except rest and get the shots. I discontinued them because I felt they were a waste of time.
My digestive issues continued on during all of this and I had multiple doctors tell me it was just stress or IBS. I started seeing another doctor (of alternative as well as traditional medicine) and he took over control of my thyroid medication (I found out I am hypothyroid 4 years ago and have been on medication since as well as completely overhauling my diet and exercise programs) and testing for digestive problems. He found that I'm allergic to gluten and have a problem with candida overgrowth. He has raised my thyroid medication to my dismay and the anti-candida diet is incredibly hard to stick to. My thyroid levels are good and I don't have extra weight on me (I lost the weight I had gained initially due to the condition within 4 months of discovering I had it).
But I still feel awful most of the time. I'm troubled by sugar cravings, fatigue, depression, and many digestive complaints. Gluten complicates these issues but I am still not 100% cured by removing it from my diet. I cannot currently follow the anti-candida diet (due to other health issues I'm not discussing yet) and I feel that this is keeping me sick. I'm trying to at least cut back on any added sugar (I usually only consume agave or brown rice syrup anyway), fruit juice, and dried fruits until I am able to fully attempt the anti-candida diet. This is going to be difficult with the holidays and my mother not understanding candida, but I'm giving it a shot. I will still post goodies on here though =]
Sorry to seem like I'm whining, I just wanted to give a look at where I'm at in my journey towards health. I know I have made amazing strides, but I still have a lot of work to do and it's difficult because of the area I'm in and my alternative doctor can be a bad listener at times.

On a brighter note, I have a recipe for stuffed peppers! I apologize because I don't have exact measurements, but it's simple to figure out I swear!

Brown rice, cooked
Whole bell peppers (I used 4)
Tomato or marinara sauce
Olives
Black, kidney, or pinto beans (canned or already cooked)
Spices (cumin, southwest, red pepper, salt)
Veggies of your choice
Cut the tops off of the peppers and stuff them with the rice, beans, and veggies. Place in baking dish and cover with sauce and olives. Bake in oven at 350 for about 45 minutes, checking often.

5 comments:

  1. Wow. I wrote a post on me having to go back to my anti-candida diet for tomorrow. Tonight I'm so stressed out and having pizza, and tomorrow, back to the diet. It is super hard, I completely get it, especially during the holidays. I'm sorry you have to go through this too.

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  2. Hi Thomi,
    Thanks so much for entering my cookbook giveaway! Honestly, I had a hard time finding candida-friendly books, too, so I created my own. The Anti Candida Feast and Desserts without Compromise ebooks are both filled with anti-candida friendly recipes (a selection of what's appropriate for different stages). I also noticed your previous recipe has peanut butter--peanuts are definitely not an anti-candida friendly food, in any diet I've ever seen (they harbor molds). You might try almond butter instead and see if it helps. :)

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  3. Thanks for the information. I know pb is bad for the candida diet but I love it a lot. I need to break the habit. I'm not currently following the anti Candida diet due to other more important medical issues I'm having right now, but soon I'll need to be back on it. I'm definitely going to check your cookbook out because I need help!

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  4. It looks a good dish. I wish that I can also try that dish. Thank you for sharing this and I think I will be visiting this post more often.

    candida diet

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  5. Amazed to know about that. Really amazing. But the good thing is finally you managed to do it by yourself. Congrats for that.

    Candidas Albican

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